JaNay Brown-Wood

Some say JaNay Brown-Wood came right out the womb filled with stories to tell and the unlimited energy and excitement to tell them. She grew up in Fresno, California where she quickly realized her love for writing and for educating children. Her interests led her to UCLA where she graduated with her BA in Psychology and Applied Developmental Psychology, on to CSU Sacramento where she earned her MA in Child Development, and finally on to UC Davis where she completed her PhD in Education. Through the years, JaNay has been a performer, preschool teacher, camp counselor, poet, silly-song singer, youth specialist, designer of curriculum, Harry Potter lover, college professor, reader, jellybean eater, and someone who truly cares about our future generations. Currently, she teaches and conducts research at California State University, Sacramento and lives in Sacramento with her fantastic husband Catrayel, who is also her high school sweetheart, and their lovely daughter Vivian. Her first picture book Imani’s Moon won the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award, is a Northern CA Association of Children’s Librarians 2014 Distinguished Book, a recommended pick on the “NYC Reads 365” 1st grade reading list, and a 2015 Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) Multicultural Book. Her second book Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, is a Bank Street Books Best book of 2018, and won the CELI Read Aloud Book Award through the University of Mississippi. She has published poems in Highlights for Kids and Highlights High Five and has a poem included poetry anthology titled Thanku: Poems of Gratitude (Lerner/Millbrook, forthcoming Fall 2019). To learn more about JaNay: Visit her website at www.janaybrownwood.com or janayebrownwood.com Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janaybrownwood Follow her on twitter: @janaybrownwood